Israel

Israel is a nation situated on the eastern boundary of the Mediterranean Sea. It is the only Jewish state in the world but its population also comprises of Arabs Muslims, Druze, Christians, and Samaritans. It is believed that the Land of Israel is the root of what is now modern state of Israel, a primal perception to Judaism for more than 3000 years. The nation declared independence on May 14, 1948 based on the decision of the United Nation, a series of wars with neighboring Arab countries who refused the plan came after.

The government of Israel is defined as representative parliamentary democracy with the President and Prime Minister acting as head of state and head of government respectively. The current president is Shimon Peres while the current prime minister is Ehud Olmert. Israel’s economy ranks 44th in terms of GDP and 22nd on GDP per capita in 2007, one of the highest in the Southwest Asian region and at par with some European countries. It has signed various free trade agreements with major economies of the world including the US, Canada, Mexico, and the European Union.

Hebrew and Arabic are the official languages. Majority of the population speaks Hebrew and is also the chief language of the state. Almost 76% of the population are Jews with a diversified background, 16% are Muslims, 8.8% are Christians, and 8.4% are Druze. Israel is the only nation in the world that still uses the Hebrew calendar. School and work holidays are based on Jewish holidays, and Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, is the official rest day. The music of Israel has been influenced by Arabic music, Greek, Yemenite melody, and Hasidic melodies.

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